This invention relates to a freight distribution system and more particularly to an intermodal transport system utilizing a single module for the intermodal transport of freight, including ship, rail and over-the-road transport.
In the shipment of freight it is common for the freight to be carried by different transport means from the shipping point to the destination. Thus, freight will often travel by ship for a part of its journey, be transferred to a rail car for part of the journey and finally transferred to a truck for delivery to the destination. Each change of its transportation mode presents certain problems, not the least of which is the time required to shift the freight to a different mode of transportation such as a rail car and/or truck or truck to a rail car or ship. As a partial solution to this problem the development of container shipping allows individual shippers to load a container at the origination point, normally the factory, that can then be loaded on a truck trailer, rail car or transferred to a ship. The popularity of container shipping has grown to the point where there are now are in operation ships designed solely to carry containers. In a similar fashion vehicles, such as passenger automobiles, pickup trucks, vans and alike are transported from assembly plants to distribution points where they are again shipped to dealers. The vehicles are normally shipped on carriers that are especially adapted for carrying vehicles. Thus for example, wherever possible, vehicles are most economically transported over water, normally using ships that are specially adapted for carrying the vehicles. The vehicles are offloaded from the ship, normally onto rail cars or vehicle trailers for shipment to various distribution points and may be reloaded again for shipment to dealers.
Although these modes of transportation are somewhat efficient, both containers and vehicle carriers must often return empty to their point of origin. On occasion empty containers collect at a port which may create a shortage of containers at points of origin while creating a storage problem at the destination port""s. Also, shipping empty containers back to the point of origin adds to the cost of shipping products. Likewise, vehicle carriers, be they ship, rail or truck, normally return empty to their origin points. It has been estimated that vehicle carriers are empty 48% of the time. The cost of returning empty containers and empty vehicle carriers is born by the shipping customer and ultimately by the consumer adding to the cost of goods.
Vehicle carriers are not adapted for carrying general freight, such as, for example, auto parts back to the assembly plant or a mixed load of vehicles and general freight. During periods of slow business cycles in the vehicle industry, the vehicle carriers are under utilized or not utilized at all resulting in substantial costs to the carrier companies and loss of jobs. These factors all produce a cost to the shipper which translates to higher prices for the consumer at the dealer when purchasing a vehicle. Likewise, containers, which are relatively large, are not suited for being transported by vehicle carriers. Vehicle carriers are relatively easy to load and unload while containers present more difficulties in loading and unloading. For example, a containerized ship may require five to six days to unload while a ship that is adapted to carry vehicles can be unloaded in a much shorter period of time.
Several systems have been suggested for inter-modal transportation systems have been suggested in the prior art, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,064 discloses an intermodal transport system designed for use in the hauling of semi-trailers by means of railway bogies. However, this system requires a turntable and spring loaded chock design to enable efficient loading and unloading of semi-trailers on the bogies.
In yet another inter-modal transport system, U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,029 also relates to a transport system combining trucking and railway technology for the transport of passengers and freight. Essentially this system integrates a highway truck drive system in powered vehicles suited for pulling passenger coaches and highway type trailer containers on rails.
Another system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,772 that uses a railway bogie incorporating a platform and pivot arm adapted to connect directly to a truck-trailers. The platform is raised by a pneumatic system integrated into the bogie to couple it to the underside of the trailer.
The foregoing systems require the use of additional equipment in order to adapt the truck-trailer for use in a railroad environment. These systems do not address the more efficient use of vehicle carriers nor do these systems address a system for more efficient loading of products on a carrier.
Accordingly, is an object of the present invention to provide a system for fully utilizing vehicle carriers for transporting general freight as well as vehicles.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system for reducing xe2x80x9cdead headxe2x80x9d trips by the vehicle carrier.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a system for integrating the shipment of vehicles and general freight on the same carrier.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide a system that reduces shipping costs.
The foregoing objects and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by the intermodal system of the present invention.
In accordance with the invention a system is provided for the integration of freight transportation from the producers work site to the freight carrier, including any intermediate carriers. Thus, the system of the invention allows a producer to load a module at the work site, move the module directly from the work site to a suitable carrier, such as a vehicle carrier, for example, that can transport the module to a rail head or dockside for loading on a rail road freight car and/or a ship It is within the scope of the invention to apply the system disclosed herein to aircraft as well.
Although the system of the present invention can be utilized with general freight carriers, such as for example, with conventional truck-trailers, conventional railway freight cars and conventional cargo ships, the system is particularly advantageous and most efficient when used in conjunction with vehicle carriers.
The present system adapts vehicle carriers for carrying general freight by utilizing a portable module that is adapted to be carried by the vehicle carrier in substantially the same way as a vehicle to carry general freight. As mentioned, the system of the invention is applicable both to rail vehicle carriers and ships especially adapted for carrying vehicles as well as to over-the-road vehicle carriers. The base of the module is substantially the same length and width as the motor vehicles normally transported by the vehicle carrier and it is provided with at least one set of wheels for portability and for allowing of the module to be loaded onto a vehicle carrier by moving the container module onto the carrier with a suitable tractor. The vehicle carrier can carry as many container modules as it can carry vehicles. For example, the combined cargo space of an over-the-road vehicle carrier fully loaded with container modules is equivalent to a semi-trailer.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention a vehicle carrier delivers vehicles to a distribution point or to a dealer and then can be re-loaded with modules containing general freight for the return trip to the assembly plant. Such general freight may comprise parts used in the assembly of the vehicles or freight to be delivered to a point in the vicinity of the assembly plant. In this manner the vehicle carrier is utilized to transport a payload on its return trip.
In another aspect of the invention the system can be utilized to deliver parts from a parts distribution point to an assembly plant and make a return trip carrying vehicles assembled at the factory.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the vehicle carrier transports a mixed load of vehicles and modules containing general freight. Thus, both vehicles and parts can be transported from the factory in a single vehicle carrier.
In yet another aspect of the invention the module utilized in the system serves as a shipping palette and, as such, can be positioned in the manufacturing facility for loading directly at the point of manufacture. As thus loaded, the module can then be integrated into the system for shipping the products.
Even under the best of circumstances it may still be necessary to ship empty modules to a loading point. The modules utilized in the present system are collapsible so that when empty and collapsed four modules can be stacked in the space taken by one uncollapsed module.
The system of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings.